Roadkill (LiveWire) (9 page)

The Vultures would be proud, I think, as I grab the phone and ring Shona. She’s at hairdressing college (or something) and she is always whinging nobody will let her practice on their hair. I figure she can’t go wrong with what I want done.

My phone bleeps:

‘I can explain – meet me 2nite at the bridge - 2230?’

Adrenalin crackles again and I punch viciously at the silver buttons:

‘See u there.’

I don’t think Ashley is going to kill me……do I? But I do need to know what the hell is going on. I ponder a moment about calling the police, but wince at the thought of them laughing at me, saying, as The Vultures so often have, that I am delusional with grief. Yeah right.

Chapter Ten

As soon as I finish the text my mobile rings.

“Hi Leo! Hey guess what….”
             

“Are you in a mood with me?” He sounds sulky, like a kid with a broken toy.

“Leo? Of course not, don’t be crazy! Why would I be anyway?”

“Well, I just thought when I told you about Matt and Anita…” He trails off uncertainly and I feel guilty for not ringing him earlier.

“No Leo. Anyway I think you were wrong because Matt followed us out, and he asked me out for tonight. Isn’t it fab?”  I am tapping answers to Kelly on LiveWire as I speak. For some reason I don’t tell Leo what I’m up to. He wouldn’t want me to become Rose, and he’d only be all worried. Plus he thinks I’m being all paranoid about Rose’s death.

“Hey that’s great. Where are you going?” Normal bubbly Leo is back, with his girly giggle, all excited for me just like a best friend should be.

“Um, nowhere. I don’t know I need to call him. Mum wants to have this talk about moving to Australia.” I am now scrolling through ‘events’ i.e. dares listed in my area. Wow there are loads, and surprise, surprise I don’t fancy doing any of them. ‘Buried in a box’…. no chance! What would Rose do?

“AUSTRALIA!” Leo practically bursts my eardrums, “That is so cool, because I was thinking of heading off maybe ditching uni for a year, and doing some travelling, so we could go together. Do a gap year together!”

I am totally thrown, “I thought you wanted to go to uni as soon as possible and earn pots of money.”

“Oh well you know, anything can happen.”

I tell him about Ashley and the ‘lorry’ thing, and he warns me to be careful.

“Do you want me to come? I bet Matt at least knows about it too. He’s trying to distract you isn’t he?”

I protest that even if he’s right, and Ash is dealing drugs Matt doesn’t have to be in on it. But it sounds feeble even to me, and Leo follows it up.

“Why else would he suddenly ask you out?”

Why indeed? “Okay, okay, but I want to do this on my own. I’ll ring you after okay?”

“Fine. Just stay safe Caz.”

After a moment’s thought I tell him about the secret admirer, not letting on it came from Ash though.

Surprisingly he is unenthusiastic, “Sounds like just gossip to me Caz. Did you hear that from Ashley? Probably trying to cover his back.”

“Did I mention how annoying it is that you always have to be so smart?”

“Always here if you need me. You know that right?” He sounds more cheerful, and we arrange to grab a drink at Ratz tomorrow.

Melissa texts back that we can meet up next week instead and she adds:

‘ Keeping my fingers xed 4 u & matt!! X’

Sweet. I was feeling a bit guilty actually that I’d neglected Melissa since Leo arrived. But just now all I can think about is Rose. Anita? Ash? Even poor bumbling Garry is currently twirling in my list of suspects. And Matt? Even though I am totally blown away by our kiss last night, I need to focus on this one last thing before I can carry on with normal life. Even as I think this I get a text from Matt, which I instantly assume will be cancelling our date:

Hey, Ash told me about Livewire. I kind of remember reading something about the bloke who runs it being interv
iewed by the police. Last month
s paper. See u later x

I guess it’s not surprising that a bloke who runs a site dedicated to getting teenagers all over the world to chuck themselves off buildings etc would have quite a lot to do with the police, but still…..

Logging on to LiveWire Kelly is back, betting me she can get another star before I do.

Playground stuff, I think, amused, but hit the events list again. Which one would Rose like that I could actually do. Eventually I hit on ‘Rising Tide’, which according to the scanty details means we all turn up on a beach about twelve miles from here, get in a boat, head out to sea. Easy so far? Then once you’re out at sea you get ditched and have to swim home.

As it turns out it’s pretty much the only one listed I could do. I’m a good swimmer (Dad taught me), and if you’re in the sea you don’t have to worry about heights, which are not my thing. Result.

I sign up for the dare as Farlan and edit her details giving my mobile number instead. 2am on the sixteenth, which gives me a day to prepare. The final details are sent by text when you’re there. Creepy, but kind of cool. I can so see why my sister loved this. Quickly scanning Rose’s previous messages for tips, I notice she and Kelly talked about me a lot. I can’t make up my mind if that is weird, or nice.

Kelly, the patronising cow, actually said I looked sweet in the photos Rose posted, and she would like to set me up with her cousin, who would be in the UK in the fall. Cue Rose telling her just about everything about me, bar the colour of my knickers, oh, and the fact I have two fillings. Anyway, the cousin apparently changed his mind (probably seeing pictures of me put him off), and went to India for a couple of months. That was all last year and luckily she seems to have lost interest in the little sister, and re-focused her attentions on goading Rose into more and crazier dares.

An army of fear spiders make their icy way down my spine as I actually consider instead of being safe in bed, in less than twenty four hours time I will be battling the tides in the cold sea. I take a deep breath and ignore them.

Ignoring my mum too, who is washing up in the kitchen looking sad, I charge out the door and head off for my haircut. The rain has stopped as suddenly as it started, bad luck for the scorched lawns, and crisp looking trees. I feel lighter suddenly, despite the dare looming tomorrow. Like a great black shadow that’s been tugging at my heels, has been cut loose. I give myself a month to sort my life out. A month to find out what really happened to my sister.

It’s nearly seven when I finally walk home, cursing the lack of bus service and the fact I still haven’t passed my driving test. Not that I have car of course, but maybe I could borrow Garry’s…Yeah right!

I am passing the place where last night Matt and I… “Oh my god! Are you stalking me Matt Amos?” My face is flushed, hand going instinctively to my new hair.

He is lounging amongst the weeds, lazily smoking, tapping something on his phone. “Don’t flatter yourself. I always hang out here. Ash just left.”

Of course he did. I’m totally wrong -footed and feel an idiot, “Right. See you around then.” Somehow I really don’t want to ask him about the lorry, and my little meeting tonight. But maybe he already knows? As Leo said, why else would he suddenly ask me out?

“Kidding. Nice hair by the way. Ash did just leave but I was kind of hoping you might come by.”

The air still smells fresh and earthy, after this morning’s cloudburst. I can’t help myself breaking into a goofy smile. Matt pats his coat and we sit and just talk, for ages, with none of the awkwardness I usually feel. Occasionally our bare legs touch, and once I think he’s leaning in for another kiss. Eventually I say I must go, and he pulls me back down onto the coat, laughing. Nine o clock and the summer night is closing in, warm grey clouds merging on the horizon, sun peering briefly before darkness falls. Even though it has rained the ground is dry again already, deep cracks in the clay indicating the meagre downfall hasn’t quenched the drought.

“Hey I thought you couldn’t make it for a date tonight….” Matt cracks open a coke can and offers me first drink. I’m parched and gulp it down far too quickly, coughing and spluttering. Very glam Caz.

“Five minutes then I really must go,” I snuggle into his arm and breath in the scents of the night. “Matt can you smell smoke?”

I literally have time to jump to my feet before a wall of fire shoots up amongst the weeds, spurting its deadly tongue towards us like a serpent in a fairy tale, hissing and spitting. The heat is intense, scorching, and I try to shield my face, while Matt jabs at his phone, yelling at the operator to send the fire service.

We run down the embankment towards the road, hearts racing, his sweaty hand in mine. The weeds and scrub drag at our legs, and the brambles tear a long scratch in my shoeless foot. Motorists are slowing, pointing, and already I hear the wail of sirens. Terrified I cling to Matt as we leg it across the lay-by and grind to a halt next to the slow lane. This is where it happened I think. This is where my sister died. I’ve never walked on The Road, never been closer than the embankment. The fire lurches down the slope at breakneck speed and we almost prepare to run out, just like she must have done, but the gritty surface of the lay-by stops the flames and they simmer and threaten just yards from our cowering forms, devouring weeds and litter.

“This way!” yells Matt, tugging my hand and I run barefoot along the side of the road, stumbling in my bare feet, gasping and choking on the thick black smoke. My eyes are streaming with painful gritty tears, and I can hardly breath.
The bridge looms in front, indistinct in the suffocating darkness, and blue lights flash, thank god. Two fire engines moving carefully past us, followed by a police car which road blocks the rest of the traffic, forcing it to slow and stop. I look towards the centre reservation, and almost see something lying there. A body? Then everything goes black.

*

“Rose?” I mumble, as a hand grips mine. I struggle to open my eyes but my lids seem to be glued shut. Bright lights and noise, and I roll over.

Next time I wake up I am in a hospital bed, attached to a drip. Curtains are drawn around me but I can hear the rumble of conversation from a large ward. Rose, not surprisingly is nowhere to be seen. A nurse cautiously slides the curtain, clipped notes in her hand.

“Hallo. How are you feeling?” her voice is gentle and her round face is set in beaming smile. In fact she’s round all over, and the uniform is well, a bit tight. Her pregnancy bump strains against the green fabric and I wonder if she’s going to pop right here next to me. Maybe it’s twins.

“Crap. Like I’ve been in a fight. Everything hurts,” I trail off, disliking the whiny tone of my voice. Then I notice daylight sparkling at the windows. “What time is it?”

“Well it was a fire rather than a fight wasn’t it? It’s twelve-thirty, and you came in last night about eleven.” She checks my notes and straps on the blood pressure cuff, deftly placing a plastic clip on my finger.

“What’s that for?” I struggle to sit up, the needle taped in my arm stinging and pulling the drip tube, “Ouch!”

“Calm down, it measures your Sats.” She scribbles on the clipboard, and checks her watch, “The doctor will want to double check but you should be able to go after lunch. Just need to pick up your Meds from the pharmacy. My name’s Sarah, by the way. I’ll pop back and help you get changed before you leave.”

Sats? Meds? I am left gawping like an idiot, brain clunking slowly into gear. Matt! I didn’t ask if he was okay, and the fire….I really hope it wasn’t his ciggie that started it. I frown. Trying to remember if he was smoking while we sat together. But the strain is too much, and I crossly throw off the rough sheet and swing my legs over the edge. I need to find the loo and someone to talk to. Ouch! My left leg has a bandage from ankle to knee, and jeez that stings as well. I examine it, but there is some sort of plasticky dressing under the thin bandage. A burn? I don’t remember hurting myself, well apart from the scratches from legging it down the embankment. At least I can put weight on it, almost walk normally. Thank god, I have that dare to do, and nothing is going to stop me.

A text bleeps on my phone:

‘Hey matt told me u still in hospital. U ok? If u up 2 it come to mine this pm about 8, and I’ll show u what me & R were doing re lorry thing x

Oh yeah, and I still have to find out if Leo is right and if Ash is dealing drugs.

Chapter Eleven

“Do you want to go to bed love?” My mum is hovering in the kitchen, dumping my ruined clothes, and the huge plastic bag of pills I have to take to prevent infection, kill the pain, create gold. Kidding.

I’m fiddling with my phone, wondering how to escape and meet Ash, wondering how the hell I’m going to manage to swim tonight.